Romans 14:13-23

(Romans 14:13-23)

Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.  I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean.  But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest thou not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat, for whom Christ died.  Let not then your good be evil spoken of:  For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.  Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence.  It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak.  Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth. And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

 

Few people say the words love and grace as much as Christians do. It is because it is the core of Christianity. Among the many religions in the world, by far no one shows love as clearly as Christianity, and no one has taught love as clearly as Jesus. We are regenerated by that love, and by that love we are justified, and by that love we are called to love God, to love our neighbors, to love our enemies, and to love the kingdom by that love. However, in reality, there are many times when divisions occur in the name of love. What is even more frightening is the fact that the division occurs when the opinions of others are judged, compared, condemned and excluded according to the standard of the Bible in the name of God's will.

 

As the apostle Paul wrote the Romans, he came to chapter 14, explaining by example that love is the beginning and resolution. Those with strong faith should not despise the opinions of those with weak faith, and those with weak faith should not criticize the thoughts and actions of free people because of their strong faith. The apostle Paul argues that it is love that Paul judges and respects each other's differences of thought, and that is love, and a more specific guideline is elaborated in today's text: 『Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. In order to love each other, Paul specifically tells us to get rid of the rough and the bumps first. It starts with the distinction between the essential and the non-essential.

 

『 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. 』 So, God's work is essential, and the food problem is non-essential. God's work is a Christian community. It is God's work, a community where the number of people who confess Jesus Christ as Savior, worship upon that confession, and reproach the truth and receive salvation day by day expands God's rule. In order to preserve the truth and essence of this salvation, we must never compromise with anything. However, if it is secondary, such as a problem of customs or rituals, it is necessary to be able to admit differences.

 

Christian love does not only mean to love and tolerate enemies, but it also means an attitude of respecting each other without exclusion while acknowledging differences in opinions, customs, and consciousness between believers. To do that, we need the wisdom to know whether the problem is God's work, an essential problem, or a non-essential problem such as food that is just a convention. However, the distinction between the two actually does not occur at the same time in both the strong and the weak. First of all, those with strong faith must reach out first. Therefore, the apostle Paul also demands that those who have strong faith first yield and sacrifice.『 It is good neither to eat flesh, nor to drink wine, nor any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak..』

 

The apostle Paul was a man free of non-essential things in Christ. He was a free man who knew that even though it was meat that was placed on the ancestral table offered to idols, the meat itself was not unclean, and there was no remorse for eating it. But if those who lack convictions and are still weak in faith see Paul "act and speak freely" and fall apart, he declares willing to limit his freedom. The reason for doing so is more important, the work of God. This is because it is more important to establish order and peace with each other.

 

The apostle Paul wrote, “the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. '
The essence of the kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, and that eating and drinking is non-essential. Here is mystery, there is wisdom, and there is an answer. When we dwell in the Holy Spirit, we have the wisdom to discern the essence and the non-essence, the kingdom of God and the work of God. When we dwell in the Holy Spirit, we experience the inclusion of mutual contempt and condemnation, leaving the strength and weakness of our faith. When we dwell in the Holy Spirit, the righteousness, peace, and joy transcend the differences and lead to mutual respect and coexistence.